[randy98mtu]

The regular EarPods don't fit me well at all.  These have been in most of the day and I just forget they are in.  I don't work out, so can't help you there.
 
The more I listen to these the more impressed I am with their sound quality.  Not hanging with any of the mid-fi around ears I've tried, but pretty good detail and everything sounds balanced.  You do have to get the volume north of 50% to hear the bass, but it is faithfully there.  I'm really blown away.  I wrote these off from the day they were announced because I hated all of the EarPods and in-ears in general.
 
The only down side I'm seeing now is the battery on everything I'm using to drive them is going down faster because I'm actually using them!  I think the best part is you just put the case in your pocket and go.  If you find a minute to listen, bam, you have them.  Takes 10 seconds to get them out and put them in and you are listening.  No untangling cables.  No power buttons.  No going into menus to connect.  Just hit play on your phone and you are jamming.

 

[Drew Keys]

I just used mine going from miami to dubai and back as well as a few other flights in between...the comfort level and charging case are amazing .  The sound is great for what it is and the price IMO.  Now to burn in my new jh 16v2 performance series

 

[heuricite]

Been listening to the Airpods for the past one week and I must say I am really impressed! Granted you would need a quiet room to enjoy them fully. But boy the amazing soundstage, well balanced and tight sound, plus the convenience of wireless really are making them my favourite tech of the year so far. The experience of putting them on and pressing the play button on Tidal is like putting a soundtrack to my mundane daily routines. Notice I mentioned tech as I think we need to be fair in judging the Airpods; they are not made for the audiophiles, but as far as a tech gadget, these are mind blowingly cutting edge.

 

[spinrite]

Has anyone mentioned in this thread to get the most out the sound the AirPods produce and achieve a better coupling seal to channel the sound into the ear canal. Would be using silicone gel slip on sleeves? They have been available if you do a google search.

 

[ezzo]

Been listening to the Airpods for the past one week and I must say I am really impressed! Granted you would need a quiet room to enjoy them fully. But boy the amazing soundstage, well balanced and tight sound, plus the convenience of wireless really are making them my favourite tech of the year so far. The experience of putting them on and pressing the play button on Tidal is like putting a soundtrack to my mundane daily routines. Notice I mentioned tech as I think we need to be fair in judging the Airpods; they are not made for the audiophiles, but as far as a tech gadget, these are mind blowingly cutting edge.

Those were my exact impressions as well.
In fact, it made me dislike my stock Westone 4R (same as W40) because I realised how overly warm and unbalanced it's frequency response is.

The price to value ratio is incredible as well considering how well it works and sounds. The Westone Bluetooth cable alone costs almost as much as these. Most (early) critics don't seem to have listened or lived with them before making a judgement.
I think it shows how you don't need to spend big bucks to enjoy music.

 

[ezzo]

Has anyone mentioned in this thread to get the most out the sound the AirPods produce and achieve a better coupling seal to channel the sound into the ear canal. Would be using silicone gel slip on sleeves? They have been available if you do a google search.

I've found that they sound their best when they have a tight fit. I think silicone sleeves would definitely help if they get loose over time without any sleeves and lose the bass response.

 

[spinrite]

These should work nicely.

 

[jaymbee]

They won't work very well. They'll stop the infra-red sensors from working, and they won't fit in the case. You'd have to take them on and off each time you use them. Or at least every time you wanted to charge them.

 

[Don McDonald]

After a few weeks with my AirPods, I am very impressed and rarely use anything else. There's a lot to be said for convenience and simplicity. Plus, they are soooo much more comfortable than shoving silicone or foam into my ear canals. Sure, they don't sound AS good as my wired Audeze Sine's or wireless P7s, but, as I'm no a big bass-head, the audio quality is surprisingly good (my tastes run from 70s prog rock through melodic alt to edgier classical). Highs and mids are clear and crisp and the bass is realistic (no booming). The sound stage is shockingly good – likely due to their open air design. Pushing them into the ear canal slightly does boost bass, but reduces the width and dimensional nature of the soundstage. The midrange clarity is also diminished a bit. Airpods are obviously designed to use the shape of the ear to create a reasonably accurate audio experience. The best thing about them is the fact that – for me anyway – its almost like the music is just magically appearing in my ears. I hardly notice they're there after awhile. They're almost as light as... air.

 

[weeboy]

I'm intrigued by all "reviews" as i ordered one of these today. Have a couple of Aurisonics Kicker since before but could never get IEM to stay put and keep that seal. I'll report back when I've tried and hopefully I'll just sell my kickers and not be disappointed.

 

[heuricite]

I'm intrigued by all "reviews" as i ordered one of these today. Have a couple of Aurisonics Kicker since before but could never get IEM to stay put and keep that seal. I'll report back when I've tried and hopefully I'll just sell my kickers and not be disappointed.

 
I do hope you will not be disappointed and give them a while to settle in. They are not meant to replace IEM though as they do not have the ability to block out sound, but for a specific usage; quiet room/office, they do their job well.

 

[weeboy]

My thought is to use them going to the gym and running. Have looked at other Bluetooth headphones but haven't quite found any perfect ones for a fair price. These seem to be useful even if the sound isn't top notch.

Was thinking of buying an Bluetooth cable for my AU kickers but those is almost as expensive. Haven't come across one that been praised enough as a cable replacement.

 

[heuricite]

My thought is to use them going to the gym and running. Have looked at other Bluetooth headphones but haven't quite found any perfect ones for a fair price. These seem to be useful even if the sound isn't top notch.

Was thinking of buying an Bluetooth cable for my AU kickers but those is almost as expensive. Haven't come across one that been praised enough as a cable replacement.

If the EarPods fit you nicely, I don't think you should worry about using the AirPods for gym/running. The BeatsX or Jaybirds are actually less suitable for exercising due to the way they were designed. The BeatsX's around the neck cable will not stay stable when you move around or running. The way it brushes your neck is also pretty unpleasant. The Jaybirds, depending on which model, are heavy on the buds and without the wing tips, they will not stay put nicely. The wing tips are a little finnicky and are not for everyone. The Jaybird Freedom is probably the closest in terms of stabiltity but it is also heavy on one side due to the battery pack. But of course, YMMV.

Dont't bother with Bluetooth cables, I got the Lear BTC 01 (supposedly meant for audiophiles) and it has a very high noise floor. Your music will sound even more compressed too. Those cables that support aptx are probably better. But not all device supports aptx. So yeah..

 

[ezzo]

I suppose you can get one of the those sleeves and use it only when you're going to exercise. I find they tend to fall out when I'm sideways and/or my ears are wet/oily.

Aptx is not necessarily better from what I have read. The implementation and codec is more important.
I'm using Spotify @320kbits and have no complains.
I'm going to switch over to Apple Music soon and let's see if there's a difference. I've read because of AAC codec by Apple Music, the transcoding (if there's any) is near transparent with the AirPods.

 

[audioBenj]

I like its functions, but I just don't like its form factor. It seems to me that it can easily slip out my ears. Also, the price seems to be a bit high considering its form and feature set, but hey, Apple.